1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus. The image forming apparatus and the post-processing apparatus configured to an image forming system. The post-processing apparatus is provided to the image forming system such as a copier or a multifunction peripheral, and is configured to perform a post-process for a sheet material stack obtained by laying a plurality of sheet materials such as paper, on which an image is formed, one on top of another.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of post-processes for a sheet material on which an image has been formed, there is a process for binding a sheet material stack obtained by laying a plurality of sheet materials one on top of another. The binding process is performed by a binding processing unit (binding mechanism). The binding processing unit is provided to an image forming system. Examples of the binding processing unit include adhesive application using an adhesive, a stapling process or a pinning process using a metal staple, and a process for stapling without use of a binding fastener such as a staple (hereinafter referred to as “eco-stapling”). Note that, a stapler for performing the eco-stapling process is hereinafter referred to as “eco-stapler”.
As a related art to the image forming system including such a binding processing unit, there is known an image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3885410. In this image forming system, one kind is selected from a plurality of kinds of binding processing unit. Specifically, the image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3885410 allows one optimal binding process to be selected based on the number of sheets of the sheet material stack, the kind of sheet of the sheet material stack, or a thickness of the sheet material stack.
In recent years, against the backdrop of an increase in environmental awareness, the eco-stapling process without the use of a staple has been performed more often than before. Further, it is demanded in some cases that formal handouts be securely subjected to the stapling process while the eco-stapling process be performed for informal handouts having the same contents for internal use.
In the image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3885410, it is possible to perform a plurality of kinds of binding process. However, only one kind of binding process can be selected for one job. Therefore, to execute both the stapling process and the eco-stapling process for a plurality of sheet material stacks having the same contents, it is necessary to divide the job into, for example, a job for the stapling process and a job for the eco-stapling process. In this case, a user needs to set different binding processes for the respective jobs, which leads to a problem in that usability and operability are not excellent.